"It is an ongoing investigation," Alison Cross, a spokesperson for the organization, told The Dodo. "So I can't speak to any of the details. I can tell you that we are making sure she's getting the care she requires."

But the store selling the kitten denies the kitten was for sale. Amy Young, a spokesman for the store, told The Dodo that Cleo was the victim of animal cruelty - but it wasn't at the hands of the pet store.

Cleo was, in fact, rescued.

She had been stolen from the store on December 20. A day later, police found her in a home with 11 other cats.

"She was then taken to the vet to see how she was recovering from this ordeal," Young said. "We needed to rule out if she has contracted any illness from the home she had been in.

"The vet had given her a clean bill of health. She has lost weight, but that was due to the stress of the situation."

"When I saw the pictures my jaw dropped. No cat should be up for sale who looks like that," she told The Dodo. "I understand this breed of kitten is normally slender, however Cleo is beyond slender."

Immediately after seeing the pictures, Victoria called PJ's Pets, only to be told by a manager that the kitten hadn't been eating because she was lonely. That's why, the manager explained, she was put in a cage with her siblings.